A Sound Plan
by Untaken
Summary: Jasmine's split from Lief, Barda, and Dain had just as many untold adventures as they would have liked to believe. Filler for The Maze of the Beast.
1. Just Us Three

**Author's Note:** Any **bolded** text are direct quotes from the novels, and are used to provide context to the story. Also note that there are massive spoilers for _The Maze of the Beast_ ahead.

 **Disclaimer:** All **bolded** text and recognizable characters are the creative property of Emily Rodda.

※ ※

 **"Jasmine, no!" Lief exclaimed.**

 **"Do not leave us!" Dain cried at the same moment.**

 **Jasmine turned to Barda. "I am right, am I not?" she demanded. "Tell them!" The big man hesitated, but his grieved face showed that he knew her reasoning was sound.**

 **She nodded briskly. "Then that is settled. All being well, we will meet on the coast, at the river's end."**

Without another word, Jasmine gave a small gesture of farewell and turned to move briskly through the green landscape of the trees and bushes. Kree took to the skies from her arm and screeched his own farewell to their former companions.

She could hear a sharp cry of protest from Lief, but she brushed it off and soon the three males were but a speck on the horizon. Jasmine knew that none of them had particularly approved of her plan, especially considering how she had sprung it on them without much of a warning. However, what she had said was anything but an exaggeration. A wild girl and a black bird—she and Kree truly stood out more than the rest, and to continue their journey as a group would have been little more than suicide.

Still, Jasmine could tell that Lief and Dain both thought differently on an otherwise sensical choice. She was only thankful that Barda had at least slightly more logical cognition than the other two dimwits. But even then, the man did not hold much over his younger counterparts.

 _They will thank me later,_ she thought to herself as she ran nimbly through the ever-increasing density of what must have been an old forest. _We do not need any more distractions with Ols and the such._

Indeed, if they were going to advance towards the Maze of the Beast as planned, they would all be wise to try not to expend too much energy on other lesser matters. After all, there was little doubt that the Guardian of the sixth Gem would be just as powerful, or perhaps even more so, than its predecessors.

And surely the Shadow Lord would have increased his efforts by now to stop them from achieving their goals. Even Doom himself had warned that the area they were in was crawling with minions of the Shadowlands—and if anything, it could not hurt to be more prudent.

At the thought of the mysterious man, Jasmine smirked triumphantly, tossing her long midnight curls. She was more than grateful for Dain's help in their escape from that miserable prison, but she only wished she could have seen the expression on their captor's normally passive face when he realized that they had disappeared inexplicably. Filli chattered whimsically on her shoulder, as if mirroring her thoughts.

"It looks as though it is just us three again," Jasmine said with a soft smile. "But that is fine—we make the better team, after all." Kree cawed above in agreement.

They traveled swiftly, covering much ground through the winding foliage of the forest. Soon, however, their pace had slowed to a light walk as the already dark sky became pitch black under the wide canopies of the treetops.

Jasmine was unsure how much time had passed since her split from the others, but she figured now was as good a time as any to catch some much-needed rest. The whispers of the trees around her were all inviting, offering themselves as a temporary haven for the girl and her animal companions.

She thanked them for their kindness and leapt gracefully up the branches of the nearest tree. Satisfied that she was out of anyone's line of sight, the girl sighed once in content and leaned back to rest against the thick, aged trunk.

Kree fluttered gently down to perch next to her and Filli, carrying in his claws a large pear-shaped fruit he had plucked from a nearby bush. The three of them happily indulged in its sweet, juicy flesh as they recovered from a long night's journey—truly a return to the old times.

As she laid in the comforting warmth of the tree, Jasmine spared a passing thought towards her other human companions.

In all honesty, some time away from the group would surely be for the better, not only as a precaution, but as a psychological break as well. She was no fool. The girl knew that she had been annoying Lief and Barda lately, as her own beliefs often ran counter to their rather stringent codes of honor; however, she would be lying if she said _she_ did not find _them_ to be irritating at times also.

That was not to say that Jasmine was ungrateful to them; on the contrary, the memory of their efforts to save her life on Dread Mountain, in spite of her protests, continued to burn in the back of her mind. No, she was _very_ grateful to them both.

But Barda and Lief were still proud people, oft to a fault, and such a dangerous sentiment was what tended to draw her ire. Jasmine too was admittedly proud, but unlike those two, she at least had the mental capacity to know when practicality took precedence over pride. Why they insisted on staying true to their self-convictions, even when said convictions were so plainly failing them, she would never understand.

Lief, especially, was always the most self-righteous of them all. The boy had good intentions at heart—she would give him that much—but he rarely, if ever, considered all the possible consequences before diving headfirst into a commitment.

 _And that will surely be his ultimate downfall,_ Jasmine mused to herself. There was no shame in thinking such things. She would not wish in a thousand years for such a fate to befall her friend, but it was certainly a flaw she had noticed for some time now.

Barda, on the other hand, was different. Jasmine knew from the moment she had first met the bearded man that he drew his strength, not from a feeling of righteousness, but from a determined sense of justice. Justice for what exactly, she did not know. Perhaps Barda felt a need to correct a wrong he had committed in the past?

That seemed to be the most likely explanation. And though she would have loved to know the answer, it was not her place to inquire of his past. Criticize his faults, maybe—after all, they too could doubtlessly name many a trait of her own that they consider to be a fault—but delve into his personal history? That was a line she would not dare cross.

Breaking out of her own thoughts, Jasmine's lips twitched upwards ever so slightly as she watched Kree and Filli curl up around one another and simultaneously fall into a deep sleep. She stroked them carefully with the back of her hands for a long minute before deciding to follow their example. Sleep was a luxury they could ill afford to pass up.

As she stretched her limbs outward to settle for the night, she found herself absently hoping that the others had also found themselves a safe place to rest. That said, she did not particularly worry too much about them; both Lief and Barda were skilled fighters, and Dain had proven that he was more than capable of defending himself as well.

 _Still... perhaps I should check on them to be sure?_ Jasmine contemplated silently. She hesitated for a moment before ultimately reaching into her pack for her water sac. She moved to take a swig but stopped short when she remembered that _Lief_ had been the one to carry the water from the Dreaming Spring.

Cursing softly to herself, the girl laid back down on top of the branch, pillowing her head with the palms of her hands. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind and she smiled brightly. As she opened her mouth, she spoke aloud to seemingly no one: "I am fine. I trust that the three of you are as well."

The silence of the night was deafening, and like she had expected, there was no audible reply. Even the trees around her seemed to be confused as to whom she had been speaking to.

Feeling quite clever, Jasmine finally surrendered her emerald eyes to the allure of slumber, keeping her smile through her dreams. She knew it had been a long shot, but of course, better to err on the side of safety than to have a certain impulsive, young man worry endlessly about her without reason.

※ ※

For three whole days, Jasmine trekked alone tirelessly. It had not taken long for her to emerge from the forest and locate the legendary River Tor. The waterway was massive and beautiful, but also unforgiving, as she had quickly learned.

Not only was the river incredibly deep, but the thick mud banks along its edge were nothing short of death traps to all who tried to cross. Indeed, more than once had Jasmine witnessed a poor soul stuck in the mud be ambushed by bandits and pirates who hid along the tall, wild reed beds. The brown sludge had made quick work in immobilizing its unsuspecting victim, which ruled out any ideas she could think of to get to the other side.

And to make matters worse, it seemed as though Doom was right about the Shadow Lord having a thick presence here. Grey Guards patrolled the paths along the water in droves, diligently watching for the trio their master had ordered them to find and destroy. In fact, at some point, Jasmine had even been forced to let Kree fly on ahead of her and Filli so as not to draw any unneeded attention.

But all else aside, her plan appeared to be working wonders. She had yet to fight for her life against any shapeshifting Ols, and the Guards rarely paid any heed to her. More than likely, the others were just as fortunate as she was. _If splitting up makes our journey this easy,_ the girl thought as she walked down the dirt road, _then I say we should do this more often._

※ ※

By the fourth day, however, Jasmine began to grow restless. According to the trees, the mouth of the River Tor was little more than a week's worth of walking away, but in all honesty, she was unsure. The countryside for the past few days and nights had remained relatively unchanged throughout, and this was strange.

Lief had mentioned before that the river was supposed to empty into the Silver Sea, but despite this, for a long time there were absolutely no signs of coastal life anywhere—only an endless expanse of marshy weeds and dirt.

And so, Jasmine could hardly contain her excitement when she heard Kree's call from up ahead. A bridge, he had said. Making sure to tuck Filli away safely beneath her collar, the girl hastily made her way over to where Kree perched waiting obediently.

She carefully studied the bridge, which stretched far across the River Tor. It was unlike any such structure she had ever seen before; for reasons unknown, the frame arched high into the sky, like that of a rainbow, and was magnificently wide, but it certainly had seen better days. Judging from the rotting woodwork, Jasmine guessed that the bridge had fallen into a sad state of neglect several years prior.

Still, it seemed sturdy enough to carry her weight as it were, and there was no way that she was going to pass up an opportunity for a nice change of pace. She made her way across cautiously, however, in anticipation of the imminent collapse of structural support that never came.

Once safely on the other side, Jasmine straightened her arms out in a stretch as she surveyed the landscape around her. Her jaw dropped when she realized that, running separately parallel to the River Tor was another stream of water—only this one was much wider.

"Another river!?" she exclaimed incredulously. Filli squeaked quietly in her ear and, in an instant, pointed a tiny furry paw towards the distance.

Jasmine turned to where the animal had indicated, and was surprised to find that the two bodies of water were not so separate after all. Further ahead, the two rivers joined together, as though they were two people linking arms. And situated in the middle of the confluence, the girl spotted a collection of tightly packed grey columns, topped with golden yellow hay. Her stomach grumbled loudly when she recognized that they were in fact houses, shapes of human civilization.

 _A town!_ Jasmine cried mentally as she began moving briskly towards the buildings with renewed energy. _Perchance the people there will have something to eat!_

The three of them made quick work of the distance to the town. However, the moment Jasmine was able to take a closer look at the small human enclave, she immediately wished she had not.

The village seemed empty—hallowed and abandoned—as if it had **suffered some terrible disaster. Many houses had been burned. Windows were shattered. Rubble and broken glass littered the narrow streets.**

 **There was a post sticking up from the ground ahead, and when they reached it they saw that it had once supported a sign. Now the sign lay on the ground, its edges broken, its brave lettering muddled.**

"What happened here...?" she wondered aloud. Had the Shadow Lord come and lay waste this patch of land as well? But there were no marks of the Shadows to be seen anywhere!

Leaning over the sign, Jasmine squinted her sharp green eyes as she attempted to make out the words. "Wuh... Wee-ree?" she struggled, tapping her index finger against her chin. "I know the middle word is _Waters_... and the last must be... _Meet_?"

The elegant scrawl of the words was indeed difficult to make out, especially considering the wear and tear the signpost must have gone through.

"What does it say, Lief?" the girl demanded suddenly, unable to stop the familiar words that came out before it was too late. She flushed briefly from her moment of folly. "Oh, right."

Frustrated, Jasmine tossed her head lividly with a growl and swiveled to scan the ground around her. She grabbed at a splinter of broken wood from the post, moving to the side towards the mud nearby. Painstakingly, she began to carve and recreate the letters of the first word into the mud so as to better read the message.

" _Where_... _Where Waters Meet_...!" she whispered, feeling quite pleased with herself. She then glanced at the flowing juncture of the two rivers ahead, which had plainly been the inspiration for the village's name. "Truly? _That_ was the best they could come up with?"

She shook her head in exaggerated disappointment as Kree clucked in amused agreement.

Walking slowly through the entrance, the group took a brief and saddening tour of the ghost town. The houses were bare, stripped of anything that would normally have been found in them. There were signs of struggle, of violence, and of terror. This had clearly not been the work of nature—no, it had been deliberate and planned; by pirates perhaps?

After all, the ruins of Where Waters Meet did not have the telltale utter destruction that always accompanied raids by the Shadow Lord's minions; but the blood-splattered streets and slashed-in doors led Jasmine to suspect that whoever had ransacked the town had been no more merciful to its population.

It was peculiar, really. Everywhere she looked, there were strange markings carved all along the walls of buildings and on other sign posts. The marks were different than the iconic brand of the Shadows, and seemed more akin to words. Some had been chipped away at, while others had been visibly written with what could only be human blood.

As the girl continued to tour around, the growl in her belly began to grow even louder. She sighed and spoke to Filli, who mewed up at her desperately. "I do not think we will find anything to eat here."

She gave a quick glance up at the sky which was starting to darken once more. "We will just have to wait until tomorrow. But first, we should take shelter for the night."

They hurriedly claimed a nearby abandoned old house. It felt awkward to take advantage of someone else's home—especially considering the bloodshed that most likely occurred in it—but Jasmine justified that it was for a noble cause.

On the inside, however, the house clearly told a horrible and chilling story. Tables were overturned and smashed wooden chairs littered the ground. All that remained to show some past form of a happy life were small trinkets and tools—a badly beaten doll, a needle with some yellow thread curled into a tight ball, and an unfinished woven dress in-progress. Everything else that held even the slightest of monetary value had been looted by the invaders. Jasmine shivered at the thought of what must have happened to the family that used to live here.

She shook her head once more, this time to deter any unwelcome sentiments. _There is no use dwelling in the past,_ she reminded herself while breathing in and out deeply. She needed to refocus her attention on the task at hand: the penultimate quest for the Seven Gems.

The Maze of the Beast was only a week or so away, but the question was: would they all make it there together in one piece? And how far along were the others exactly?

She was ahead of them, that much was certain. But had Lief, Barda, and Dain managed to somewhat keep up with her pace? Were they even aware that she was ahead?

Jasmine sat cross-legged on the dirt floor, taking care not to disturb the scenario around her. Oh, how she wished to have had the foresight to bring along some pencil and paper in her pack. At least then she could have sent the boys a short note through Kree telling them where she was.

The girl briefly scanned the room again, hoping to find some writing utensils to borrow for a quick message. But there was nothing—whoever had lived here must have been more of a seamster than a scribe. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head and she gave a quiet shout of eureka. _The thread!_ she inwardly yelled while scrambling to clutch at the ball of yellow yarn.

Both Kree and Filli looked at one another curiously from her shoulder as she rushed out the door and into the dead of night. She then hastily turned to run back towards the entrance to the village, only stopping to kneel when she reached the fallen sign.

Unsheathing her dagger, Jasmine began to cut off a number of pieces of the knitting wool. She delicately held two strands and placed them carefully along the top of the flat sign. Her animal friends peered over her shoulder as she worked.

It took several minutes, but Jasmine eventually managed to maneuver the two pieces in a satisfactory 'J' shape.

"There," she said with a grin. "Now, if Lief, Barda, and Dain arrive later, they will know we were already here." Of course, that was given the assumption that the others would decide to cross the bridge as she had done.

Grabbing another particularly long strand, Jasmine then proceeded to arrange it into a second curled image—one that resembled a bird in flight. "It is you, Kree," she explained. "That way, there will be no mistaking us." The raven cawed proudly.

Moments later, Filli began to chatter indignantly in her ear.

"What _about_ you, Filli?" she defended. "How am I to make a picture of _you_?" Snubbing her questions, the rodent instead jumped down from her shoulder to steal a piece of yarn. He then meticulously started to paw his way around as he arranged the string into a third pattern.

Jasmine blinked at the circle that appeared next to the image of Kree. "That looks nothing like you!" she exclaimed in exasperation. "And a circle could mean _anything_!" She scoffed at Filli's subsequent squeaks, which were in protest against her criticisms.

As if to prove her point, the girl gestured at the waxing gibbous of the moon in the dark sky. "It could mean the moon if it were full tonight—" She stopped herself short as another flash of brilliance crossed her mind.

Wordlessly, Jasmine sliced off two more pieces of yarn and placed them next to Filli's work: one as a horizontal line, followed by the other curled into the number '3'.

She smiled as she admired her own handiwork. It would have done Lief and the others no good to simply know that she had come across Where Waters Meet. No, they would have to also know _when_ she had arrived, so as to better gauge their own progress.

And indeed, now they would have all the clues they needed—for Filli's attempted self-portrait did in fact look like a full moon, and what was tonight but three nights before the end of the lunar cycle?

 _Our work here is done,_ Jasmine thought matter-of-factly as she carried her companions back to their adopted shelter. She prayed that at least one of the males would have a quick enough wit to understand the message. But such a fate was out of her hands now, and true to her nature, she thought no more of it. For tomorrow, her journey would continue, and she had her own tasks to worry about.


	2. Steven V2

**Disclaimer:** All **bolded** text and recognizable characters are the creative property of Emily Rodda.

※ ※

Where Waters Meet had proven to be an excellent refuge for the night, but regardless, Jasmine felt significantly relieved to leave the abandoned village behind. There had been a particularly off-putting sensation about the town that she could not quite place her finger on, and she did not plan to stick around long enough to find out what.

Setting out in the midst of the afternoon sun, Jasmine had attempted to move further inland, so as to avoid the mass of lurking reed beds. But to no avail. The wild reeds had grown uncontrollably and now covered the road ahead for as far the eye could see.

And so she had been forced to backtrack through that miserable village and turn along the river that fed into the Tor. Now, instead of being ahead of Lief and the others, she was surely behind, and getting further thus.

As much as Jasmine wanted to lash out in frustration at such a monumental waste of time, she could not—for her hunger had done away with much of her strength. It had been more than a full day since the three of them had last eaten, and their lack of sustenance was taking a considerable toll on their energy.

She spared a glance up at Kree, who had been arduously flying above since early morning, on the sharp lookout for any edible fruits or nuts that could be foraged. Unfortunately, there were none, and there had not been any for miles on end.

Indeed, as they traveled back along the path, the dense thickets of the forests had quickly given way to vast plains of sloping hills and green grass—neither of which could provide the food that they needed.

Filli squeaked in tiredness from where he sat atop the wild girl's head. "I know you are hungry, Filli." Jasmine replied breathlessly. "We all are. But I am sure there will be another place for us to resupply at further on."

Truthfully, even _she_ could barely believe her own words. _If we do not find something to eat soon, we will never be able to meet up with Lief and the others, let alone fight the Guardian,_ she thought darkly. They were running out of options. If need be, they could always fish for a meal from the river, but that would require patiently staying in one place for far too long—easy pickings for their enemies.

Abruptly, her breath hitched and she froze where she stood. As if on cue, a small pod of Grey Guards in the distance could be seen slowly patrolling towards her along the dirt path. Jasmine cursed softly to herself. There was nowhere to hide and nowhere to run in these wide, open fields.

Taking a deep breath, the girl steeled herself for their approach, hoping against hope that they would not stop to question her. She hastily shooed away Kree, who in turn increased his altitude to remain out of sight. She could only pray that they would ignore her like the other Grey Guards had done before.

The heavy thumps of the Guards' hardened boots grew louder as they neared and Jasmine could see that there were only three of them. They did not seem yet to have noticed her, but she readied herself all the same, placing a hand on the hilt of her dagger as she continued to walk nonchalantly towards them.

All seemed to be going well until, without warning: "You there!" one of them yelled. Jasmine muttered another small curse as the Guards moved to close the distance between them. "Where are you headed, girl?"

Jasmine stopped again at his voice and stood quietly. Lowering her head, she refused to answer, at a loss for words. A million thoughts were rushing through her mind: what to do now? She was plainly outnumbered, and too deprived of energy to put up much of a fight. Should she even try to run?

Her silence, however, only seemed to anger her enemies, and the leader—the one who had spoken—gripped the spiked club in his hand more tightly. He narrowed his hallowed eyes and took another threatening step forward. "Did you hear me, tick? Where are you headed?"

When she still did not answer, he raised his club high into the air, preparing to strike. "You will regret your silence!" he growled as he slashed his arm downward. But Jasmine had anticipated his attack, swiftly ducking under his swing and jumping to the side.

Knowing there was no way around it, she drew her dagger and took a defensive stance. The Guard, now infuriated, began to swing once more, but he was soon interrupted by a flurry of black that promptly swooped out of the sky and smacked the weapon clean out of his hand.

 _Kree!_ Jasmine inwardly cheered as the bird started to claw at the Guard's face ferociously. However, her blood ran cold at what she heard next.

"The black bird, Nat 2!" another pod member shouted at the sight of Kree. "The bird and the wild girl—it is one of the ticks the Master told us about!" They had recognized her. She backed up slightly as the other two Grey Guards began to load their slings with Blisters.

Gritting her teeth, Jasmine looked around frantically for any means of escape. Though her pride was tempted to say otherwise, she knew she would not be able to last long against the three of them, being so exhausted and starved.

It was then that she spotted a jagged line of round stones on the surface of the river nearby. She gave a small cry of triumph as a plan formulated itself into her head. Wasting no time, she whistled for Kree and turned to sprint towards the water.

Blisters whizzed dangerously by and splattered all too closely on the ground as she artfully dodged the projectiles. The Guards may be equipped with deadly weaponry, but she thanked the heavens that their aim left a lot to be desired.

Despite this, once Jasmine reached the bank of the river, she hesitated. The girl knew full-well the risk she was about to take. If she were to slip and fall into the flowing water, the chances of her surviving would be slim considering how how little she knew about swimming.

Still, the shouts of the approaching Nat Pod quickly burned away at her indecision, and she bounded forward lightly onto the smooth stone. Her boot thankfully had enough traction to stop her from slipping as she balanced herself precariously on one foot, and she started to hop further along the stepping stones.

When she glanced ahead, however, panic soon struck her beating heart: the trail of stones ended only halfway across the river. She had trapped herself! Turning carefully to look behind her, Jasmine saw that her pursuers had stopped at the water's edge and were reloading their Blisters once more. However, as the two Guards readied to take aim against her, their arms were unexpectedly slapped away by Nat 2.

"No, you fools!" he roared. "We need the tick alive! She will make useful bait for the others."

Jasmine's emerald eyes widened at this and she swallowed nervously. This was not going well. If she were captured, then that would mean Lief and Barda would also be put in danger.

"What are you waiting for!?" she heard Nat 2 yell. "Seize her!"

The other two Guards grunted in consent and soon all three moved to carefully step across the stones as she had done earlier. As Jasmine clamored desperately for a plan, Fill popped out from beneath her collar and squeaked quietly into her ear. Her eyebrows furrowed as she considered his idea, afraid of the outcome. However, the Guards were closing in, and she did not have much of an option.

She nodded gravely as she spoke: "Be careful, Filli."

Without another word, the rodent leapt forward with a terrible hiss and latched himself onto the face of the unfortunate Grey Guard who happened to be in the front. Not expecting an assault, the Guard swatted the air aimlessly while attempting to fend off Filli's attacks.

"Stop wasting time, Nat 4!" the pod leader shouted. "Club the rat away and get the girl!"

The one called Nat 4 nodded obediently and unhooked the weapon from his waist. Just then, a scornful caw from the sky sounded as Kree dived once more and clawed away at the club. Caught by surprise, the Guard yelped and lurched backwards into the river with a splash, knocking his fellow pod members' balance in the process.

For a moment, an icy cold gripped at Jasmine's veins as she feared Filli had also been dragged into the water with Nat 4. However, she heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Kree gracefully soaring back towards her with the furry animal clasped in his talons. The raven dropped Filli into Jasmine's palms and roosted on her shoulder as she murmured praises to the small animal.

Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream filled the air. The girl snapped her view over to where the Grey Guards had fallen into the river and felt a faint retch in the back of her throat. Worms. Hundreds—no, thousands—of them, splashing every which way on the water's surface. The Guards, meanwhile, were flailing their arms around helplessly while the tiny killer worms, each no longer than an finger, scrambled voraciously over their bodies.

Jasmine looked away, unable to watch the gruesome scene. After several minutes, the screams of the former Nat Pod finally subsided as the worms finished their meal, and an eerie silence followed. She looked down at the stepping stone on which she stood—and to think that it was the sole barrier between her and a similar demise suffered by the Guards.

She carefully made her way back to shore and collapsed in exhaustion the moment her feet touched firm ground. Kree and Filli subsequently joined her as they, too, attempted to catch their breath. "This is why I hate water."

※ ※

They rested for awhile before hunger once again forced them to continue moving. After their clash with the Nat Pod, they had unanimously agreed to avoid the river as much as possible, which ruled out any idea to fish for food.

Jasmine's feet dragged along the ground at a snail's pace, and she felt troubled by the prospect of going another day without a meal. But it was not only her hunger that bothered her. Her thoughts were preoccupied by the incident earlier. The Grey Guards had recognized the _wild_ girl quite easily, despite not having Lief and Barda with her—a rather poor outlook to be sure.

Until then, she had had no problem avoiding potential enemies; that is, as long as she stayed a considerable distance away. But up close? That was a different story altogether, especially with Kree always nearby. Perhaps they needed to rethink their approach.

A distinct warning call from the raven abruptly broke into her thoughts. Was it another pod of Grey Guards? She instinctively dropped down and placed an ear to the ground. No, it sounded four-legged, and it was... singing? She stood up and strained to listen to the voices carried by the wind.

Bells. The jingling of tiny bells, and indeed **the merry, booming sound of someone singing.**

 _ **Once there was an Ol-io,**_  
 _ **Jolly-wolly Ol-io,**_  
 _ **Once there was an Ol-io,**_  
 _ **Fearsome as could be!**_

 _ **I said to that Ol-io,**_  
 _ **Jolly-wolly Ol-io,**_  
 _ **I said to that Ol-io,**_  
 _ **You don't bother me!**_

Jasmine furrowed her brows in bafflement at the words and waited silently on the road—there was nowhere she could hide in any case. Meanwhile, Kree once again flew higher to avoid being seen, but kept watch over them all the same.

Soon, she could see the silhouette of a caravan nearing. There was an old horse leading it, and a man situated in the driver's seat. The stranger was large, barely fitting into the rickety aged seat, and was unlike any man she had ever seen before. His skin was brown and tanned, similar to her own, and he sported a thick head of long, golden hair that had been tied back.

Annoyingly enough, he continued to sing his strange song at the top of his lungs; but although the lyrics of his song may have been utter nonsense, he at least did not appear dangerous.

 _Still,_ Jasmine thought suspiciously, _looks can be deceiving. And Dain did warn about Ols traveling in pairs—like a man and his steed._

When the driver at last seemed to notice her, he yanked the reins of his horse, stopping the caravan in its tracks. "Why, hello there, miss!" he bellowed at her in his deep voice. Uncertain as to whether she should speak or not, Jasmine merely raised a polite hand in reply.

This appeared to satisfy him well enough, however. "What brings a young lady like you here?" the man asked curiously. "The Broad River is no place for an afternoon stroll."

Jasmine blinked at his words. This was the Broad River? _Wonderful,_ she mused sarcastically. _So I am going the wrong way_ and _I have lost track of the Tor._

"Are you lost?" the man said, interrupting her bitter musings.

Finding her voice, the girl lifted her chin and responded not-so-kindly to him: "No, I am not lost. And my business is my own."

He lifted his hands in mock surrender. "Understood, madam. Believe you me, private business is all we know about." The stranger must have seen the unfazed expression on her face and began again with a twinkle in his eye: "We are peddlers, after all."

Jasmine raised an eyebrow at this, not quite sure who this 'we' he kept referring to was. Did he not realize that he was traveling alone? That is, of course, unless there was another hiding in the caravan itself.

"A peddler?" she inquired, thinking back to what Barda had explained to her about such professions. "You have a shop?"

"Indeed," he confirmed. "Steven B of Fine Wares Bought & Sold at your service, madam."

What good fortune! Memories of Tom and his shop flashed through her head. Finally, a place to purchase something to eat—perhaps this Steven fellow would even have some No Bakes in stock like Tom! A feeling of relief flooded Jasmine's body as she spoke up at the man: "Is your shop far from here? I would like to purchase some food."

Steven glanced at her quizzically, as if her unkempt and ragged appearance did not hold much promise for monetary return. "No, it is not far," he said with a laugh. "In fact, it is right in front of you!"

The man slowly lumbered down from his seat and gave a gesture, signaling for her to follow as he moved around towards the back of his cart. He then abruptly grabbed at the handles and threw open the doors of the caravan.

To Jasmine's surprise, the grand space within the cart was filled to the brim with clothing, rope, and various other knickknacks. _But there is also no one else hiding in here,_ she absently noted.

Steven gestured to a small row of glass jars, each filled with different foodstuffs. "Over here, we have a large selection of traveler's biscuits, quality honey, and sun-dried fruits," he announced as a true vendor only could.

Jasmine's green eyes widened as she gaped in childlike wonder at the spread of food. True to his words, there were in fact biscuits and something called Quality Brand Honey; but the dried fruits were what caught her attention, with over a dozen different choices varying in all the colors of the rainbow. Filli peeped out from where he had been hiding in her long tresses and sniffed appreciatively at the jars.

"What kind of fruits are these?" she asked curiously, pointing at a jar filled with round, purple disks.

"Ahh." Steven reached to open the lid and took a few pieces in his hand. "These are sweet plums—quite a treat. Would you like a sample?" He held out the fruits to her with a smile.

A low rumble from the pit of her belly sounded before Jasmine had the chance to answer, and she sheepishly nodded. Popping a dried plum into her mouth, her elfin face lit up with delight. It was delicious! The plum was sweet, yet tangy and much meatier than she could have imagined.

She offered some of the candied fruits to Filli and giggled when he began to nibble adorably at it in relish. Without thinking, she also held out an arm and whistled for Kree to come and try the new treats. Too late, however, did she realize her mistake, and the black bird had already obediently returned to perch on her outstretched arm.

Jasmine looked up, absolutely mortified that she had given herself away so easily. She half-expected Steven to begin melting on the spot and transform into a fearsome Ol, having recognized his targets—a girl and her bird. But no such event occurred. There was no attack, no nightmarish battle with a shapeshifting monster. Nothing.

In fact, the golden-haired man still stood unchanged in front of her with the same comforting smile plastered on his cheekbones.

"Well?" he insisted gently. "How do you like them?"

The girl quickly shook herself out of her paranoia and straightened. "They are great! How much for them?"

"One silver coin per bag, miss."

She promptly dug into the pockets of her jacket, searching for her money. Finding the small bag of currency, she frowned as she pulled a coin out. It was a gold piece. They were all gold pieces, to be exact—part of the provisions they had been generously given from Dread Mountain. "Will you take Dread Gnome gold? It is all I have with me at the moment."

Steven was taken aback by her words. "Why, yes, of course." He regarded her curiously. "But how did you come to own some of their gold? The Dread Gnomes are famous for loving their treasure more than life itself!"

Jasmine shifted on her feet uncomfortably, not wanting to reveal anything to the man. Fortunately, however, he seemed to realize her predicament and retracted his previous question: "Silly me! It is not my place to interrogate our customers!" Steven bowed once and graciously accepted the gold piece from the girl.

He then filled a large bag full of the purple sweets and handed it to Jasmine. "Please, have a look around," he gestured towards the other items inside his store. "A gold coin from the Gnomes is worth many silver pieces, and you have used but one."

She pointed to the biscuits and honey, and Steven immediately went to wrap some for her. "Will that be all, madam?" he spoke politely. "There are still a few more things you can have for that gold coin of yours."

Jasmine seemed about to shake her head, but something caught her eye. On a hidden shelf behind the rack of clothes stood several miniature bottles, one filled with what looked like white powder, another with bright red paint, and a third with black. "What are those?"

The man glanced at where she had gestured. "Why, those are cosmetics." He grabbed at the bottle of powder and held it out to her.

"Cosmetics?" She opened the tiny glass container and took a whiff. It smelled faintly pleasant, with a sweet underlying aroma. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Steven stare at her strangely, as if he found it odd she did not know what this particular item was.

"Beauty products," he explained simply. "Noblewomen like to use them to change their appearance... for better or for worse."

Jasmine's ears perked up at this. _Change_ their appearance? Her mind flashed back momentarily to her encounter with the Grey Guards, and how she was so easily recognized. This could be just what she needed: a disguise! But how does one go about using such products?

She reached for the bottle of red paint, and it was then that she noticed the bald head of a life-size clay mannequin situated next to a huge mirror further in the back of the caravan.

The figurine was as tall as she was, and distinctly feminine. A violet silk scarf was wound tightly around its head and a flowing purple cloak was tied around its neck with golden cords. Long golden earrings swung loosely from its solid ears, and a matching gold parasol rested against its shoulder with dignity. Both the gloves on its hands and the high-heeled boots on its feet were made of fine black leather.

She gazed up in wonder. The mannequin was clearly a display for the expensive clothes on sale, but upon closer inspection, Jasmine could also see that it served as an advertisement for the cosmetics as well. Its face was the same pale white as the powder, its clay lips were red like the paint, and its hollow eyes were umbrellaed by heavy black outlining.

All in all, the figurine truly looked akin to a noblewoman... and nothing like a _wild girl_ —in other words, the perfect cover.

"I will take them!" Jasmine half-shouted enthusiastically for the bottles.

Steven wordlessly handed her the glass containers and stood aside to watch in silent amusement as the girl immediately set to work attempting to imitate the cosmetics on the mannequin.

She coughed in disgust as she applied the white dust to her own delicate face, but thankfully, the powder had done the trick. In moments, her tanned skin had paled considerably. She then began to meticulously brush the red paint across her lips and the black liner over her eyelids, taking care to match her appearance in the mirror to that of the display.

Once finished, Jasmine stepped back to admire her work. It was a strange feeling, these so called cosmetics. The dusting of white powder felt uncomfortably itchy on her skin and the red paint on her lips occasionally found its way to her tongue—which tasted foul.

But as strange as she felt, she had to admit she _looked_ even more peculiar. The cosmetics might have masked her facial identity, but if anything, the awkward combination of such an upscale appearance coupled with her own ragged, dirty clothes would be all the more noticeable.

She turned her head towards Kree and Filli to gauge their reactions on her new look. Unsurprisingly, they did not like the change one bit and vocally protested their opposition. Steven himself seemed to grimace slightly, but did not comment.

He gestured at the clothes rack. "Perhaps a change of clothes is in order as well?"

And indeed the same thought had crossed her mind, too. But Jasmine was not looking where he was pointing. No, she was instead staring thoughtfully at his display with a sly smile. _Yes,_ she agreed silently while digging in her pockets for a few more gold pieces. _Perhaps it is._

※ ※

"How can _anyone_ hope to walk in these!?" Jasmine exclaimed furiously as she wobbled and fell for what must have been the tenth time in her new heeled boots. She shot Filli and Kree a venomous glare as they attempted to stifle their amusement at her struggle.

"I suppose it takes practice," Steven chimed in, "and a little getting used to. But I must say, they look mighty fine on you, _my Lady_." He gave a playful mock bow.

And in truth, they really did. The wild girl that had once been was no longer—transformed into a taller, beautiful aristocratic lady with what could only be unimaginable wealth.

Jasmine's normally ruffled and dirt-caked shirt had been tossed aside in favor of a crisp, new long-sleeved honeysuckle blouse. Her torn trousers had themselves been replaced with silk leggings that hugged her calves generously. Her tresses of raven black hair had been tied back into a thick ponytail that extended out past the purple scarf wrapped around her head.

Everything that belonged to the mannequin had been stripped away and given to Jasmine. The fancy cloak, the parasol, the leather gloves and boots, and even the earrings all made fantastic additions to her disguise—though in retrospect, she could have done without the piercing of her earlobes.

Still, be that as it may, Jasmine knew that she also needed to act, as well as look the part. And thus far, the new boots were her biggest challenge. Whoever had the brilliant idea to attach a miniature pole to the back of shoes would forever hold her eternal condemnation. What was even the point of such footwear? The boots ached terribly and threw her balance, although admittedly they _were_ useful places to hide her dagger.

It took many trials and failures, a number of bumps and scratches, and several comical tirades—all of which made decent entertainment for Steven and her animal friends. But after a little while of practicing, the girl began to become rather accustomed to the feeling of the tight leather. She learned how to adequately run in the heels, and jumping was no longer an impossible task.

Feeling quite pleased with herself, Jasmine looked up with a grin. "Thank you for all of your help, Steven," she said sincerely.

"A pleasure to do business with you, Miss—" he stopped himself, scratching his head in bewilderment. "I do not believe I ever caught your name."

Jasmine licked at her painted lips nervously. "My name? I-I..." She started to stutter, but thankfully, Steven again seemed to have an innate intuition about her situation and raised his hand to stop her.

"If you have a secret, it is yours to keep. But may I at least ask where you are headed?"

She glanced at the dark-skinned man's face. Steven was a stranger, yes, but he was still an honest person—that much she could tell. She supposed it could not hurt, as long as she did not reveal anything about the true purpose of her journey.

"The mouth of the River Tor," replied Jasmine, swinging her parasol awkwardly.

Steven quirked an eyebrow in return. "The River Tor?" he repeated. "You are going in the wrong direction then!"

"There was an impasse of reeds that I could not cross," the girl explained.

"Indeed?" The peddler considered this thoughtfully. "Well, there may be a solution to that. Up ahead, further along the Broad River path, there is a station for a boat."

"A boat?"

"Yes. The captain provides a ferry service along the Tor. It may help you reach your destination."

Now this was interesting. Traveling by boat would no doubt be much faster than by foot, not to mention less strenuous. Perhaps she would even be able to catch up with the others! Jasmine beamed up gratefully at the man; if only all such people she met were so courteous and helpful.

"Jasmine. My name is Jasmine."

Steven returned her smile. "It has been a pleasure, Miss Jasmine," he boomed in his deep voice as he closed the doors of his caravan and climbed back into the driver's seat. "My brother and I must be going now. We wish you luck on your travels, madam."

He yanked on the reins and urged his horse forward, leaving the girl dumbfounded on the spot. His brother? What had he meant by that? She had seen no such brother!

Jasmine shook her head in exasperation as Filli and Kree returned to their usual spots on her shoulders. Steven may have been kind, but she suspected he likely had some form of mental illness to keep referencing imaginary people. Perhaps all shop owners were to some degree insane—heaven knows Tom spoke strangely as well.

She watched as Steven slowly moved further away along the road. The jingling of bells once more permeated the air, coupled with the bellow of his ridiculous singing.

 ** _Colly-wobbly Ol-io,  
_** ** _Jolly-wolly Ol-io,  
_** ** _Colly-wobbly Ol-io,  
_** ** _You don't bother me!_**

But much to her surprise, this time Jasmine **could have sworn that instead of one voice, there were two.**


	3. Turn the Tables

**Disclaimer:** All **bolded** text and recognizable characters are the creative property of Emily Rodda.

※ ※

To say that the disguise was a success would have been a grotesque understatement. Like many of her plans recently, Jasmine's decision to change her appearance was again working wonders for her.

After Steven's departure, the girl had earlier shared a much deserved meal of hard biscuits and honey with her fellow animal companions. Their hunger satisfied, they had proceeded to journey towards the transport boat that the peddler had mentioned.

By chance, she had then encountered another pod of patrolling Grey Guards, and again they had stopped her to inquire as to where she was headed. But unlike before, this time, she came armed with an excuse: she was headed to the ferry station—both an accurate and a useful alibi.

Most remarkable of all, the Guards had merely grunted at her in disgust, but did not question her further. Even with Kree circling so plainly overhead, they apparently did not have the time to interrogate a wealthy patron like herself. Not while the three hooligans they had been ordered to find were still on the loose, anyway.

And she was clearly not one of them, they had said before pushing their way through her rather rudely.

It had taken Jasmine all of her willpower not to burst out laughing at their ignorance, at their total and utter cluelessness. She had wanted to gloat at them, to tell them that the _wild_ girl they were searching for was, in fact, right before their very eyes—that the wealthy woman in front of them had simply been a costume, a fluke!

But she held back, and indeed, her enemies suspected nothing. And who could blame them? She was but a delicate, harmless aristocrat. Weak and bashful—nothing like the fierce female warrior the Master had told them about.

Jasmine hid a smile to herself as she continued to travel the length of the Broad River in her alternate persona. The loud clicks that sounded whenever her heeled boots hit the ground were annoying, to say the least, but she figured it was a welcome trade-off for her anonymity.

If only Lief and Barda listened to her more often. It surely would have made obtaining the first five Gems just as easygoing and efficient. Perhaps they would have even finished finding the rest of the Gems by now. The girl made a mental note to bring up a number of practical appeals whenever she reunited with the others.

For one thing, she would tell them that they could not continue to depend _only_ on the Belt of Deltora. Yes, she understood that their quest was of monumental importance. But she had said it once, and she would say it again: there was absolutely no sense in pinning all their hopes and dreams on a fable, a legend.

Jasmine believed in the magical powers of the Gems, certainly—she had witnessed it firsthand with the Topaz, after all. But what if it was not enough?

She knew the stories of the Great Adin were anything but tall tales; however, such historical events had occurred centuries ago. Since then, the Belt had remained unchanged throughout time, but the Shadows have only been gaining in strength. Who is to say the Shadow Lord would be unable to overpower Adin's Belt now?

It was foolish to rely so heavily on superstition. Just in case something went awry, they needed to have a fallback plan—although, knowing Lief, there was little chance of _that_ happening. The boy trusted so strongly in the Belt and whoever the heir was that she almost pitied him. Did he not understand it was partly the Royals' fault that they were even on this quest to begin with? What if the heir to the throne turned out to be an even bigger buffoon than his predecessors? Then what?

Jasmine quickly shook her head. _Now is not the time for such thoughts,_ she reminded herself. Later, when she saw Lief again, she would make her case known. But for now, she needed to focus on the task at hand—actually making it to the Maze of the Beast.

※ ※

After resting for a little while, Jasmine set out once more in her search for the ferry. She swung her unopened parasol around lazily as she strode, enjoying the cool breeze of the Broad River. The weather was, thankfully, not particularly warm, or she was sure to have wilted under the multiple layers of clothing.

Filli, meanwhile, was rather content to hide under her violet scarf and passed the time staring mesmerized at the hypnotic billow of her fancy cloak. Kree flew sedulously above them, as always, taking care to report anything of interest.

For a long time, her journey was quiet and peaceful, with nary a sound aside from the clacking of her heels. The expanse of the plains had temporarily given way to a stretch of forest that grew along the water. Tall silver birches and stubby shrubs lined the river bank and plump red berries dotted the bushes to the side. Just as she was beginning to relax, however, she heard it—

A faint snap. Followed by a crackle. The unmistakeable sounds of a twig being stepped upon.

Her keen ears sharpened abruptly, and she stole a glance up at Kree. The raven returned a single caw in response—he had heard it as well. Attributing the noise to a wild animal, Jasmine ignored it at first and continued to move her legs forward as though she had heard nothing.

Another snap. And another crackle.

Kree's subsequent warning call only confirmed her own suspicions. "We are being followed," she whispered to Filli, who squeaked quietly in reply.

She narrowed her eyes warily, but kept walking nonetheless, not wanting to give her awareness away. She knew the best way to defend against a predator wanting to catch its prey off-guard was to play along. Let him think that she was unaware, that she was defenseless—and then, when the moment presented itself, she would turn the tables on her enemy.

This was something Jasmine had experienced numerous times in the Forests of Silence, being stalked. She was the prey, and somewhere—hidden among the thickets of trees and bushes—was the predator. She subconsciously felt for her dagger. There was the temptation to simply consult the trees as to what the potential threat was, but the girl knew this would only blow her cover.

More noises, this time the rustle of leaves not far to the back.

Her pace slowed and she lowered her covered head as she came to a complete stop. She waited as Kree began to circle above her defensively. Plainly, her enemy did not buy into her costume and had decided at last to reveal itself, but she stood still all the same and listened intently.

The thumps of boots spilled onto the road behind her. _More_ Grey Guards? No, their footsteps were too light.

"Well, well, look what we 'ave here, Pip," croaked a scratchy, throaty voice.

Jasmine spun towards the voice's owner and was met with the sight of two scruffian men. They were relatively tall, even by her standards, but not at all lanky or scrawny. Quite the opposite in fact—both were well-built with hardened muscle, one with a bed of red hair and the other a dirty blond. **They wore a strange array of fine and tattered clothes, their wild hair was matted, their eyes glistening.**

There was something familiar about it all, from the toothy grins on their dirt-smeared faces to their ragged appearances. And then, it hit her. _Pirates!_ she thought incredulously. _Even here, along the Broad!_

"What did I tell ya, Mitch?" said the redhead called Pip. "I knew I saw a dame pass by!"

The blond bandit nodded. "Aye, and pretty-lookin' one at that." His blue eyes raked over her body up and down, making her want to shudder in discomfort. The pirates took a step forward, but Jasmine stood her ground and gripped her parasol more tightly.

"What can a fine maid like yer'self be doing wandering 'round these parts?" Pip asked, though from the tone of his voice, she knew that he could not care less about the reason.

"Did yer papa never tell ya how dangerous it is to be alone?" Mitch added.

Jasmine's emerald eyes flared under the black liner at the mention of her most-likely-late father, but she held herself in check and wisely chose to ignore their comments. She could not afford to become embroiled in a fight. _If Lief and Barda make it to the river's mouth first, I will never hear the end of it!_

Reaching into her pack, she pulled out her bag of gold pieces and tossed it on the ground between her and the pirates.

She straightened and tilted her head up. "If it is my money you want, then you may have it," she said in the most pompous attitude she could muster. "But I must insist that you do not waste any more of my time."

She became mildly surprised when they simply laughed at her words. "Quite a mouth on this one, eh, Pip?" Mitch chuckled. He moved forward slowly and kicked the sack of coins aside. "Nay, we 'ave no interest in your change, ma'am."

What was this? From what Dain had told her, all pirates _ever_ thought about was gold, and these two were going to claim that they were not interested? Did the fools even realize that the bag was filled with Dread Mountain gold? She furrowed her eyebrows and frowned.

"Ya see, an elegant lady such as yer'self is sure to fetch a juicy ransom for yer... _safe_ return."

They moved closer, and from this distance, Jasmine could smell the salty stench of their body odor. She gritted her teeth. As much as she wanted to plunge her knife into their bodies, doing so would only eat up more precious time. Should she attempt to escape again?

The vagabonds advanced even closer; Mitch drew from his waist a wickedly-curved sword that glimmered in the sunlight. "Do not fret, milady," he coaxed. "If ya come with us quietly, we promise not to hurt ya until yer papa comes."

At the mention of her father again, something inside Jasmine suddenly snapped. Wordlessly, she opened the palm of her hand, allowing the golden parasol to fall lifeless on the ground. She then unsheathed her dagger and took a stance, her painted lips set in a thin line. _No,_ she decided, _there would be no more running today._

She did not utter another word to them. They had been given the chance to take the money and leave, but no. Instead, they intended to waste her time, despite her warning—and now, they would pay the price.

It was disappointing really that they were such simpletons, for, notwithstanding their horrible odor, they were both rather easy on the eyes. Physically attractive, yet mentally a complete halfwit—an all too common combination of qualities when it came to Deltora's male population, it seemed. A shame, but never let it be said that Jasmine had been without mercy against them.

The pirates, meanwhile, were taken off-guard by her resistance and hesitated. **And well they might. The elegant lady they had thought to** take as a hostage **so easily had become before their eyes a fiery warrior whose dagger glinted as brightly as their swords.**

Their sudden hesitation did not escape her notice, and she smirked. "I am afraid I will not be joining you two," she spoke haughtily and gave a short laugh. "You are both stupid as it is, but perhaps it is _I_ who was the fool for believing you were actually a threat."

Her taunts visibly inflamed Mitch, whose handsome face twisted into one of anger. "What dijya say, wench?" he roared. The bandit gripped at his sword with both hands and bared his teeth.

Jasmine, in turn, merely maintained her smug smirk and waited. She would not make a preemptive strike—that would be too easy. No, she instead would teach them to be more cautious in choosing their targets, if indeed they would even be able to try again after this. Her complacent silence only served to increase her enemies' anger ten-fold as Pip, too, drew his own sword.

"You will wish ya'd never opened yer mouth!" the redhead shouted. He surged forward with a fierce battle-cry, but Filli was quick to intervene and leapt from under the girl's scarf to attack the pirate. The animal was subsequently joined by his flying counterpart, and soon Pip was preoccupied with a flurry of bites and scratches to the face.

This left only the blond, who stood with his legs spaced apart, his face red with rage. Jasmine dug her heels into the ground, preparing for Mitch's own eventual charge.

"Forget the ransom," he grunted before his expression contorted creepily once more. "You will make a decent bedmate tonight, and then maybe ya'd learn some manners!"

But Jasmine barely heard a word he was saying. Her eyes were cold and calculating—her smug smile had vanished as she focused into her battle-hardened concentration. She scanned his rugged features closely, mentally noting where his strengths laid, and where his weaknesses could be exploited.

Mitch was plainly strong, there was no doubt about that. One deadly swing from his wicked scimitar would finish her. But of course, his sub-par intelligence would do nothing to help him in that regard; the multitude of scars scattered across his youthful face and muscled arms were a standing testament to that.

Barda had once said that the Palace Guards prided themselves on having battle scars, a memorial to an encounter well-fought and won. And naturally, Jasmine could not have disagreed more. In her opinion, a scar was little more than evidence of a critical mistake—one that allowed an opponent to inflict an everlasting wound.

Frankly, as far as she was concerned, scars were simply easy tools to judge whether someone engaged in combat resourcefully or threw everything on a whim in hopes of chance success. And from what she could tell, Mitch clearly fell under the latter.

He charged and Jasmine's smirk returned. His sword was raised high above his head as he stampeded forward and he slashed downwards at her forcefully. She jumped out of the way. Dumbstruck, he tried again, thrusting his blade forward with predictably identical results.

The pirate looked angrily at Jasmine, who stood a few feet in front of him unfazed. Her violet cloak flared behind her gracefully, creating an almost surreal halo around her, and her gaze was steady, betraying no emotions.

"Why d'ya not fight back?" Mitch demanded as he readied his sword once more. "Stop being such a coward!"

"As you wish." Her voice was infuriatingly calm and unwavering.

He swung diagonally at her, thinking she would dodge to the side as she had done before—but Jasmine had anticipated this. Just as the scimitar was about to reach the side of her neck, she ducked and disappeared from view. Before Mitch had a chance to respond, she darted forward and slashed across his chest twice in quick succession. He howled in pain as the razor sharp blade of her dagger cut clean through his cotton top and into his skin, adding two new scars to his collection.

The bandit grasped at his wound as fresh blood began to seep into his shirt. He cursed at her, vulgarly and with words she had never even heard before.

A part of her, the side in which Jasmine's compassion and humanity resided, froze at the sight of the bright red liquid flowing freely down his chest. Her grip on her dagger loosened slightly and she almost moved to apologize—but her warrior soul promptly subdued its weaker counterpart and her expression remained passive, uncaring.

Mitch, meanwhile, staggered to his feet with heavy breath. "Now ya done it, wench!" he growled. "Now ya made me mad!"

Jasmine cocked an eyebrow at this, and tossed her ponytail in the wind. Did he mean to say that he was not angry before? The girl heaved a sigh and shook her head in exasperation. Nevertheless, she again took a stance and prepared to defend against whatever nonsense this man was capable of when he was _truly_ mad.

The pirate charged forward once more with a yell, slashing wildly. Jasmine responded and parried his strikes with her own blade without much difficulty.

 _He is clumsy with the sword,_ the girl noted as she leapt from side to side to dodge his attacks.

Mitch was not nearly as skilled as Lief and Barda were—which in turn meant that he certainly stood no chance against her. There was no confidence in the way he wielded his weapon and he depended too heavily on his anger. His blade was not an extension of himself as it should have been and this resulted in choppy, forced movements.

In contrast, Jasmine remained light on her feet. Her elegant twists and twirls as she evaded his attacks were seamless and fluid, like an elaborate dance. The stylish, flowing clothes on her back, coupled with the faint dangling of her earrings only seemed to enhance the beauty of her motions.

He began to swing his blade at her in a blind fit of madness, each strike becoming more frustrating than the last as the girl sidestepped around him. He had the advantage in strength, but her agility was proving impossible to catch.

She countered whenever she saw an opening, her own attacks as fleet and ruthless as her dexterity was graceful. Every slash, every punch, every kick was like a sharp sting, and Mitch soon accumulated a disproportionate number of cuts and bruises. The tables had indeed turned against her enemy. She was no longer a defenseless prey, but a superior contender to her opponent.

Just as he began to swipe at her again, Jasmine dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding being beheaded. She then stuck out a leg and spun on her hands rapidly, sweeping the vagabond off his feet.

He cried out and winced as he landed on his bottom with a thud, his sword falling out of his hand. He moved to retrieve it, but Jasmine swiftly shot towards him and held her blade to his neck. Her enemy froze as he felt the familiar cold metal of her dagger, now pressed threateningly against his throat.

"Do you really wish to continue?" she hissed in warning. "Think carefully, now." Mitch snarled viciously at her, but yielded his hands in defeat.

The girl stood and placed a hand on her hip as she regarded the man in disappointment. His forehead shone with sweat and his chest heaved large gulps of air—he was exhausted, and bleeding quite heavily, too, by the looks of it.

Jasmine then spared a glance over at Kree and Filli, who were still harassing the other pirate. It seemed that Pip had fared no better than his partner-in-crime against this crack team of survivalists. Filli scampered all over the redhead's body, ferociously gnawing at any piece of exposed flesh while Kree continued his aerial assault of relentless scratches.

Had it been anyone else, she would have found the sight to be rather funny—but in that instant, Jasmine simply rolled her eyes. This had been going on long enough. Picking up her abandoned gold parasol, she wordlessly stalked over to where Pip was swatting the air around him.

In one fluid motion, she flipped the sunshade upside down and coolly swung the handle at the distracted pirate, knocking him clean in the back of the head. Pip grunted once in surprise, before crumpling on the ground unconsciously.

 _A waste of time, indeed,_ Jasmine lamented while tossing her head. Thankfully, she did not break much of a sweat fighting Mitch, otherwise who knows what would have happened to the variety of cosmetics on her elfin face. She gazed up at the sky, cursing to herself as she noticed the sun had already moved a considerable distance to the west.

However, just as she was about to leave and start making up for the lost time, the girl heard a growl behind her. She pivoted around, stunned to see that Mitch had gotten back on his feet, sword in hand. There was a desperate, almost feral look in his blue eyes.

"You are not leavin' here alive!" He lunged without hesitation, intending to spear through her slim body with his blade.

Her eyes widened, and she had little opportunity to think. Her reaction was instinctive—pure adrenaline drove her to jump up and out at him. His shoulders became her tree branch and she dove gracefully.

This time, it was Mitch who was stunned. Her opponent could do nothing but watch in shocked fascination as she dodged his stab and vaulted over his shoulders with her gloved hands. She made a flip mid-flight and nimbly landed on her feet. Before he had a chance to counter, she then twisted around swift as lightning and extended her heel out at his back forcefully with a shout.

The kick connected with deadly accuracy, knocking him forward with a cry of pain. His world turned black and he stumbled, falling face first into the dirt next to his companion.

Jasmine quickly straddled the motionless pirate and drew her dagger once more. She had made the mistake of leaving him alive once, and she had no intention of making that same mistake twice. She raised the blade high in the air, poised to deliver the final strike. It should have been so simple to end his life, to drive her knife through his back and rid Deltora of another uselessly pathetic villain—but something stopped her.

In a way, she knew she had to—in order to ensure they would not come after her again. However, she found herself unable and her gloved hands trembled in midair. Kree and Filli stared curiously from the side as their guardian struggled with herself.

Her trusted dagger. Her most useful tool. She had used it to kill before; in the Forests of Silence, that was the way things worked—kill or be killed. So why was it failing her now? It was not as if she was _murdering_ them. She would never take someone's life for her own amusement. But still, her arm refused to swing the blade downward and she did not know why.

All at once, memories of a time long past flashed in front of her eyes, and the scenery around her seemed to melt into grey.

※ ※

 _She was no longer outside, next to the flowing waters of the Broad River. Instead, she was indoors, stuffed inside a dark and ominous cavern. The walls around her were rocky and laced with a strong, unpleasant smell. Her dagger was still in her hand, the bright gleam of its blade the only source of light._

 ** _"Do not kill him!"_**

 _Her head snapped up, not expecting to hear that voice. She turned her head and drew a sharp intake of breath. There, standing not ten feet away from her were Lief and Barda, completely covered from the neck down in red cloth. It had been Lief who had spoken._

 _ **"Why not?"** she heard herself demand involuntarily. **"He would kill me, if our places were reversed. And when he was attacking you, you would have killed him, if you could."**_

 _Jasmine frowned at her own words. When had Mitch attacked Lief? She glanced again at the incapacitated man and did a double take. Mitch had changed. His blond hair and ragged clothes were no longer—instead, he was bald and half-naked, dressed only in tight white undergarments. Strangely enough, Jasmine's own fine linens were gone as well, replaced by the same scarlet that Lief and Barda wore._

 _There was something eerily familiar about the clothes, which were unnaturally large and baggy on her slender form. The only other time she had worn something similar had been—_

 _Of course! She mentally slapped herself for not recognizing this scene sooner. She remembered now—the red clothing, the dim cavern... everything. The man she was about to kill was no pirate, it was a Ra-Kachar—it was Reece! And this place, this miserably dark and cramped cave—the Hole from Noradz!_

 _Jasmine blinked up at her companions. Barda was frowning and grimaced uncomfortably. But Lief—Lief's eyes were wild with panic as he stared back, silently pleading with her not to kill in cold blood._

 _She dropped her dagger._

The clatter of metal hitting the ground shattered the vision into pieces. The Hole was gone, the bright blue sky returning overhead. Her friends had disappeared, replaced by two unconscious bandits. The girl slowly stood up, dazed and not quite sure what had just happened as she dusted her blouse. By what witchcraft had that memory come to her in such vivid detail?

Gingerly, she picked up her fallen weapon, cradling it in the palm of her hands while Filli and Kree moved towards her cautiously. For several minutes, she stared blankly at the sheen of the blade and every so often, the image of her companions' reactions in her vision came rushing back. Barda's nauseated, almost-disappointed expression, and Lief's youthful face—filled with fear.

Jasmine verbally lashed out in frustration. Even now, when she was traveling without those two, their _stupid_ codes of honor would not leave her be! She sighed deeply and gazed at the inert bodies of Mitch and Pip. The white-hot fiery passion of her warrior spirit had by now been all but snubbed out by her newly-budding compassion.

"We cannot kill them," the girl said to Kree and Filli, both of whom had returned to her shoulders.

They cocked their heads at her, as if they did not understand why not. And honestly, Jasmine did not know either, but she had a distinct feeling that the boys would not be particularly happy to find out that she had slitted the pirates' throats.

She frowned at this. Since when had she allowed what her friends thought of her to influence her decisions? She shook her head slowly, not liking how she had become a seeker of approval. Filli and Kree continued to blink at her curiously, waiting for an answer.

"We just cannot!" she shouted defensively with a faint tint of pink on her cheeks. "Barda would only give us that irritating _look_ of his. And as for Lief, I do not think any of us really wants to listen to another one of his lectures on _morals_!"

Indeed, the very possibility of having to sit through another of Lief's virtuous speeches seemed enough to deter the animals from questioning further. Jasmine exhaled in relief and immediately set to work patting down the bodies of her fallen enemies. She found small pouches of gold and silver coins, no doubt the former property of some unfortunate soul. The girl quickly retrieved her sack of Dread Mountain gold and added the pirates' treasure to her own.

Kree made a small noise of confusion. "I said we cannot _kill_ them," she snapped in explanation. "Anything else is fair."

She then gave a pretentious laugh as she bounced her now overflowing money sack in her gloved hand. "Even _we_ make better pirates than these two!"

※ ※

There was no time to rest, not if they wanted to reach the ferry by tomorrow. After gathering up all of her belongings, Jasmine had been unsure what to do with the unconscious bandits; however, she ultimately settled on simply leaving them where they were and allowing Fate to decide what happened to them next.

The girl wagered that Mitch and Pip would be grateful enough that she had spared their lives, and not continue after her. Mercy, after all, was a one-time deal, and she could not guarantee her own actions again if they were to try a second time.

She looked out towards the horizon as the three of them prepared to set out once more. The sun shone high overhead, comfortingly warm and invigoratingly bright. Her red lips curled upward into a hopeful smile—she could just imagine recounting her adventures so far to her human companions, sans the part where she nearly executed two men.

"Let us not waste any more time!" Jasmine exclaimed as she took off down the dirt road, with Filli tucked under her scarf and Kree following closely behind. "We would not want to _upset_ Lief and Barda now, would we?"

Her tone was dripping with unbridled sarcasm—but after what they had just witnessed, Kree and Filli also knew that she secretly meant every word of it.


	4. A Queen's Reunion

**Disclaimer:** All **bolded** text and recognizable characters are the creative property of Emily Rodda.

※ ※

As soon as the sky turned dark, the companions had found their way to the nearest tree to rest for the night. Exhausted from the long trek, in addition to their encounter with the pirates, the three of them had little trouble sleeping and enjoyed a peaceful, undisturbed slumber.

They awoke to the searing bright rays of the early morning sun, and after sharing a small breakfast of honeyed biscuits, started to pick through the path up the Broad River. The vast, sloping plains began to reappear in place of the forests as they walked, and a heavy fog surrounded them on all sides. Eventually, **they came upon a small wooden jetty that pushed out a little way over the water. On a pole was fixed a metal sign** with a worn picture of a boat below some faded lettering.

" _River Queen_?" read Jasmine slowly.

She held her hand up to her brow and scanned the glistening waters. Despite her enhanced vision, the foggy blanket sitting on top of the river was thick, and Jasmine had difficulty seeing even thirty feet out. Filli scampered underneath her scarf as she called Kree back to roost on her shoulder, afraid of losing sight of him.

"It seems we are too late," she bemoaned, "there is no ferry here."

The girl turned her back on the water with great disappointment—she dreaded having to walk all the way down to the River Tor a second time. However, just as she was about to take a step, a soft chugging noise, coupled with the tinkering of music, began to permeate through the fog. She glanced out again.

There, materializing out of the grey horizon, was a red wooden boat. A single large funnel towered in the center, expelling puffs of steam and towards the stern was a huge paddle wheel that turned continuously, propelling the ship forward. A sharp whistle blew from its decks, as if announcing its arrival. Jasmine swiveled her head to gaze at the metal post. Could this be the same boat pictured on the sign?

The ship came nearer, and soon her suspicions were confirmed when she saw the name _River Queen_ proudly painted in white on the hull. Suddenly, a short and portly bearded man with a silly-looking hat peered over the side. His nose was crinkled and pointed, and the greying hair on his scalp was pulled into a thick braid. When the man spotted her, he waved.

"You waitin' for a boat, lass?" he shouted over the loud slaps of the paddles hitting the water.

She nodded vigorously in reply.

The man disappeared from view, presumably to shut off the engines of the vessel. And indeed, moments later, the boat began to slow, the paddles of its wheel grinding to a halt next to the jetty. Jasmine blinked as the man came back to speak to her, this time accompanied by a short, hunch-backed creature.

"First, I'm obliged to ask, ma'am," the man said, "you have any money to pay for this here ride?" The girl frowned at his strange speech pattern, which took even more time to decipher than the pirates'.

"Yes, I have money." She dug into her pockets for her bag of coins and pulled out a Dread Gnome gold piece. She then tossed the coin at him, figuring it would be enough to satisfy his seemingly greedy ambitions.

As expected, his face lit up at the sight of the gold and he grinned toothily. "Right this way, ma'am."

Without warning, a wooden plank lowered itself from the side of the ship and onto the dock, forming a makeshift bridge. Jasmine stepped carefully across, but just as she was about to board, a stubby arm blocked her entry. She glanced up to meet the now serious expression on the bearded man's face.

"Before you join us, I have some basic ground rules to share." He held up an index finger as he began to count off his list of regulations. "One, I'm the captain of this here ship, not your bodyguard. Your safety is your own concern, not mine."

Jasmine frowned once more.

"Two, I don't care if you're an Ol or not—that's none of my business as long as you pay—but don't be causin' any trouble with my other passengers, or I'll toss ya into the river to feed the worms." She dipped her head in agreement. Although she doubted the captain would be able to defeat her in combat, she could not help but shudder at the thought of the killer worms.

"And three," he said, pausing to eye the raven on her shoulder, "no pets, whatsoever, allowed."

Her green irises visibly darkened at hearing the man call Kree a pet and she gestured at the creature beside him in spite. "Well, what about him?"

"What about who?" the captain asked innocently, gazing at where she had pointed. "Oh, Chett? He's not a pet, he's part of my crew! And you best watch your mouth around him, young lady."

Jasmine was slightly taken aback by this. How could that hair-covered _thing_ be helpful as crew? It was no taller than a mere child and did not appear very intelligent. As if sensing her judgements, Chett abruptly opened his mouth and spat a wad of dark brown goo at her boots. She gave a cry of surprise and withdrew quickly enough to avoid the projectile, which landed with a sickening splat on the plank.

The captain roared in laughter at his crewman's antics. Jasmine gave a menacing glare, immediately beginning to dislike Chett. Still, she did not find it particularly worth her time to argue and promptly shooed Kree away. The bird took to the skies without protest while Filli obediently remained hidden under her scarf.

Satisfied with Kree's departure, the captain finally lowered his arm. "Welcome aboard the _River Queen_!"

※ ※

Jasmine lowered her head as she stepped onto the creaking wood of the vessel. The other passengers all looked up, surprised to see a wealthy noblewoman as the newest arrival.

Not one to be intimidated, she stared back at them. One was a rather plump lady, who wore **a pink dress and mittens. Her round face was framed by huge bunches of pink curls that clustered over her forehead and cheeks.** She nudged **the arm of a tall, thin man with a patch over one eye who** nodded gravely next to her.

To the side sat two men who were playing cards. They were both bald and rugged-looking with what looked to be animal teeth piercing their earlobes—all-around unfriendly appearances. They took one look at the newcomer and dismissed her just as quickly, returning to their game.

"So how far will you be traveling with us, lass?"

She turned to face the captain. "As far down the Tor as you will take me," she answered simply.

Hearing this, he regarded her suspiciously, but ultimately chose to say nothing of it. "Aye, we'll be reaching the Tor in a few hours, I'd say." He gestured to his crew member. "Ho, Chett! Raise the anchor!"

The simian creature grunted and scurried off. Two puffs of a whistle sounded and she could hear the distinct crinkle of metal. The entire hull then rocked from side to side nauseatingly, pushing the boat away from the dock. The giant paddles began to turn once more and slap against the hard water, sending the girl off on her watery adventure.

Jasmine found an empty bench next to the railing of the ship and claimed it as her own. She gazed out over the rails at the sparkling surface of the Broad River which churned frothy as the _River Queen_ zipped through it. Filli poked out from his hiding spot to join her in admiring the passing scenery and the distant cawing from up above told her that Kree was nearby.

The endless sway of the deck was uncomfortable at first, but a boat ride was plainly much faster than having to trek through the reed beds on foot. Indeed, this was sure to cut her travel time by at least half—perhaps she would even reach the Maze of the Beast ahead of Lief, Barda, and Dain after all!

There was a small pain in her chest as she thought of her friends. Some leisure time away from them had been undeniably refreshing, but she still missed them all the same. Her journey had been admittedly dull without the familiar banter and arguing that she often shared with her human companions. Kree and Filli never disagreed with her—and she appreciated their loyalty—but things were becoming repetitive without any sort of real challenge or opposition.

"Ho-di-ho!" a shrill, and rather feminine, voice cried out suddenly. She turned her head in irritation. The source, **a hugely fat man in a striped jersey, was clutching a large painted box with a handle.** "Ahoy there, madam!"

Jasmine raised an eyebrow at his unbecoming voice as he wobbled toward her bench. She lifted an awkward hand in greeting. "Uhm... hello."

"Is this seat taken?" asked the man as he gestured towards the empty side of the bench next to her.

"Yes," she lied quickly.

He paid her response no heed as he took it upon himself to squat beside her. Jasmine gripped at her parasol tightly, wanting nothing more than to... _persuade_ the man to sit elsewhere, but she restrained herself. He slowly lowered his obese form onto the wooden bench with a grin.

For a moment, all was quiet, and the girl silently thanked the heavens that he would not begin to talk to her. However, it seemed her recent good fortune had finally dried up and she inwardly groaned as the man opened his mouth to speak.

"I'm Lockie the Stripe!" he introduced.

"I did not ask for your na—"

"And what might you be called, fair lady?" The girl scoffed at his rude interruption. She titled her chin up haughtily and turned her head, having no intention to answer Lockie. This snobbish display, however, did not seem to faze him, and he continued as though they were a pair of strangers in happy conversation: "I'm a musician."

"Is that so?" Jasmine rolled her eyes in boredom.

"Very much so!" He beamed and held up his box as if to prove his point, his thick sausage-like fingers curling around the handle. "Are you a music-lover?"

"No—"

"I am!" interrupted another voice. Jasmine looked up only to feel a small twitch of the eye as she saw that it was the woman in pink who had spoken.

Lockie grinned again. "Well, then you are in for a treat, madam!"

He began to turn the handle of his box and a light tinkering of music subsequently filled the air—the same music she had heard on the jetty. The woman pulled on the sleeve of the reluctant man beside her, dragging him onto the deck. They then swayed to the light notes of the box, plainly either unaware of the stares of the other passengers or simply uncaring thereof.

Jasmine lowered her forehead onto her palm and heaved a great sigh in resignation. She supposed there was no point in trying to convey to the empty-headed man next to her that she did not want his company, and settled on waiting for his arm to tire.

Long, agonizing minutes passed. Lockie continued to jovially turn the handle without pause and the strangely disproportionate couple continued to dance. Filli at some point had retreated back underneath the girl's silk scarf, attempting to muddle the annoying sounds that hammered at his eardrums while Jasmine tapped her boots irately.

Meanwhile, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow emerge from within a cabin. It took a second before she realized that it was Chett. He moved swiftly and silently, pawing his way toward the dancing couple. They were oblivious to his motions and he disappeared from view behind the woman's large frame. When he reemerged moments later, Jasmine drew a sharp breath. In his palms, he clutched a handful of round silver coins—he was a pickpocket!

Her eyes narrowed warily as the music beside her finally began to wind down. "How did you enjoy that, my Lady?" Lockie persisted while the couple that had just been unknowingly robbed settled back down on the other side of the deck. "A fine show, indeed, if I do say so myself!"

But Jasmine ignored his words. Instead, she was fixated on the hunched creature who was now nefariously pawing around the card-playing men. "Tell me about him," she demanded authoritatively while pointing at Chett.

Lockie glanced at where she had gestured. "Why, he's the captain's polypan!"

"What is a polypan?"

The fat man wrinkled his nose at this. "They're a no-good thieving bunch," he whined, patting his pockets nervously. "I have already misplaced at least ten pieces of silver since I came here, and I am certain I did not drop them!"

Jasmine crossed her legs and folded her arms as she vaguely listened to Lockie's whimpers. The polypan had scampered away from the crowd of passengers, and she watched as Chett crept back inside his cabin. The simple fact that the captain employed such a character onboard his vessel was a good enough indication that he was not to be trusted—she was surely going to have to keep herself on high alert.

※ ※

Hours passed as Jasmine continued her voyage on the _River Queen_. The boat had finally reached the juncture where the Broad River flowed into the Tor, and for the third time, the girl again found herself face-to-face with the village of Where Waters Meet. The saddening view of the abandoned houses disappeared as soon as it came, however, and was eventually replaced by endless green plains.

After a few more distasteful songs, Lockie had at last left her alone to find more agreeable company elsewhere. But though peace and quietude had been firmly re-established around her, the girl still steadfastly refused to drop her guard, aware that this was no ordinary ferry. As such, she tried her best to remain on-edge and ready at a moment's notice in case anything became amiss.

Unfortunately for her, however, the gentle lull of the ship as it sped down the river was proving to be a rather persistent obstacle. It was soothing, really—like being held close to a mother's warm bosom and swayed into wistful silence.

Thankfully though, the sudden heavy clomping of boots nearby broke any chance of her falling asleep and she quickly straightened, alert and at attention. There was a blur of white beside her as the stomping noises grew louder and Jasmine instinctively placed a protective hand over her pockets.

When she looked up, however, it was not the thieving polypan as she had expected, but the captain instead—he bent precariously over the side of the boat, and for a moment, the girl was afraid he would fall overboard. There was a loud click and the chugging of the funnel overhead began to soften as the vessel began to slow without warning. The ship was stopping.

Jasmine looked up curiously at the captain's back. "Have we reached the next station?" she asked.

"Nay. We're being flagged down."

"By whom?" she demanded, but he disregarded her.

He started to wave outward in a manner similar to when she first met him. The captain then cupped his hand around his mouth and roared: **"Want a ride, mates?"**

A chorus of voices in the distance replied back affirmatively, causing her emerald eyes to widen as her sharp hearing recognized their familiar tones. _Could it be?_ she wondered with a start. _But that is impossible!_

Just then, however, Kree emitted a low clucking from up above and subsequently confirmed her suspicions: it was Lief and the others. She clenched her gloves into a tight fist and cursed quietly at the inconvenience of it all. Never mind the fact that she had no idea where in the world they had come from, but if they were allowed to board, then her plan would be ruined! It took all her willpower not to cry out in frustration.

By now, the other passengers had also become intrigued as to why the boat had stopped unexpectedly and stood waiting to see what would happen next. Meanwhile, Jasmine verbally protested up at the captain in an attempt to dissuade him from allowing her other companions onboard.

"This is a waste of time," she said haughtily. "If we stop for every lost soul that happens to show up, we will never reach the next station."

There was a murmur of agreement from the other passengers, and the captain seemed to consider this at first. He thoughtfully tapped at his chin and turned to shout out at the three travelers: **"Do you have money?"**

 **"Yes!"** she heard them shout back.

The captain grinned. **"Never let it be said that the River Queen turned away a paying passenger. Let alone three. Ho, Chett!"** Jasmine resisted the urge to slap her palm on her forehead at this as the polypan leapt out from his cabin. He obediently rushed to his employer, carrying a small rowing boat in his hairy arms.

She watched in amazement as Chett threw the boat over the side and jumped into it with a splash. Reaching behind, the chunky captain then grabbed a thick rope and swung it down the hull. Minutes later, the thumps of wet boots hitting the side of the vessel could be heard.

A large burly figure, which Jasmine instantly recognized as belonging to Barda, appeared over the railings first. One-by-one, he was followed closely behind by Lief and Dain until, finally, the entire set stood together only a few feet in front of her.

She had to stifle a laugh as she took in their appearances. Their bodies were each caked with mud from the waist down, and none of them seem pleased about it at all. Annoyingly enough, Lockie wasted no time extending a warm welcome to the three males while the pink woman likewise offered her own greeting.

Jasmine saw Lief begin to scan the crowd skeptically, and she lowered her head on instinct, hoping that the scarf would throw his observational senses off. His gaze swung around to her direction, causing her to grow nervous.

She immediately feigned a bored and condescending expression, and thankfully, he did not seem to recognize her. Turning her attention back out towards the river, Jasmine started to twirl her golden parasol nonchalantly while the captain spun his rehearsed monologue at the newcomers.

When she was certain that their attention was no longer on her, she gripped at the handle of her parasol tightly. Her knuckles began to turn white with frustration. _Those fools!_ she fumed to herself. The whole point of going their separate ways was so that they would _not_ meet again until the river's end, and now they just _had_ to have happened upon the same ferry as she?

All things considered, at this point, the girl was seriously beginning to regret her decision to embark on this voyage—especially after having seen the delighted look on Lockie's face at the prospect of having another audience to entertain.

Be that as it may, however, there assuredly was still a faint flutter of excitement in her chest. She was happy about being able to see her friends again, but she also became conflicted on whether she should reveal her identity to them or not. Would it be safe to assume there were no Ols on the ship? She had yet to see a Tremor from any of her fellow passengers, but Dain did mention Grade 3 Ols not having this weakness.

She stole a glance at the Toran boy, who was visibly shaking for some reason as he listened to the captain speak. Perhaps Dain was ill? In any case, the captain eventually concluded his speech and turned to leave. He barked some orders at Chett, who scurried away to the engines. After a small delay, the _River Queen_ lurched forward violently and began to move again.

Soon, things began to settle down as the other passengers returned to their previous occupations. The card-playing men went back to their game, the captain disappeared inside his helm, and Lockie began to turn the handle of his abhorrent box once more—much to Jasmine's despair.

The boys had moved away, and she saw out of the corner of her eye as they wordlessly sat in a bench adjacent to hers. Without thinking, she inched herself closer to them in her own seat. Filli peeped out from underneath her scarf to take a look around. When he saw the others, he started to rub his paws together excitedly but wisely kept hidden nonetheless.

For a long time, the air around them was quiet. Jasmine kept her gaze fixated out at the water while covertly keeping a close watch all the same. They did not seem to have noticed that she had moved closer, and her ears perked up suddenly as Barda began to mutter to Lief and Dain.

 **"A strange group,"** the big man said. **"We will have to keep our wits about us."**

Jasmine hid a smile at his words—she could not have agreed more. It was then that her normally practical self threw caution to the window, and she took a leap of faith: **"Indeed."**

She had only uttered only a single word, but it was enough. All three males looked up at her, and she waited patiently for the eventual realization to sink in. She fought the urge to roll her eyes as they simply stared at her with a blank slowness.

Suddenly, Lief gave a start and his eyes widened impossibly as he recognized her. He turned to tug on the sleeve of Barda's shirt, whispering to his companions, and upon hearing him, Barda and Dain, too, had similar reactions. Lief looked about to stupidly call out at her, and the girl was quick to bring an index finger to her painted lips. Understanding the gesture, he promptly clamped his mouth shut.

Jasmine turned her head slightly to the side and flashed them all a friendly smirk as if to say hello. A brief feeling of satisfaction washed over her as she saw Lief and Dain both flush brightly in response—even Barda seemed to redden a bit as they continued to stare in disbelief.

Without another sign, she then got up and began to relocate further down the deck away from the others, her heels clicking pompously with every step. She could feel their gazes linger on her back and wagered that at least one of them would feel the need to follow her.

Finding another bench towards the aft end of the ship, Jasmine sat and opened her parasol for the first time, resting it against her shoulder. She reached into her pack and pulled out the small bag of dried plums, nibbling daintily on a sweet. Glancing sideways at her human companions in the distance, she could see Lief murmuring intensely to the other two and pointing at her every so often.

She cleverly bided her time, knowing either Lief or Barda would eventually join her to catch up on important events. Sure enough, a short while later, the former wordlessly claimed the seat beside her. He looked out towards the river with her, and for a minute neither said anything. It was a comfortable silence—one in which words were not needed to express the companionship between them.

In the end though, it was Jasmine who attempted to speak first. "So, where are the three of you headed?" she asked, turning towards him.

Lief blinked at her dumbly at first, not understanding why she would not know. Jasmine saw this, and flicked her eyes to the side. He glanced at where she had signaled, and subsequently scrunched his brows—the woman in pink and her husband were dancing to the music box again, and had moved within earshot. Better to not take the chance.

"The coast," he said slowly, playing along. "We are to reunite with... my sister there."

"I see."

"She was separated from us earlier. I would have hoped she had made it there by now." The subtleties of his words were rather obvious—although indirect, he was plainly asking how she was not ahead of them.

"Maybe your sister was met with some complications along the way," she shrugged.

Lief considered this and nodded. "We just missed her at Where Waters Meet, but I am unsure what became of her after that."

Jasmine smirked. So the boys _had_ found her clues! Credit where credit was due—perhaps they were not as empty-headed as she had originally thought. "It would have been impossible for her to walk to the coast," she said while trying to maintain her best impersonation of an upscale lady. "The reed beds of the Tor are not particularly accommodating this time of year, after all."

"She would have to travel quite a ways back then, yes?"

"It is a very long venture," the girl agreed cryptically. "No doubt, she would have needed to resupply at some point. There are many peddlers, though, who take that path upstream with traveler's goods. Steven B is one such peddler who comes to mind."

"Indeed? Bard—err, _Father_ —thought as much," said Lief, quickly catching his slip up. "As it happens, we came across Steven as well."

Jasmine quirked an eyebrow and crossed her boots over her thighs, not noticing how his eyes absently trailed the motions. It seemed unlikely that they would have happened to meet that strange singing shop owner, too, but she remembered that Steven had been traveling in their direction anyway—a very small world, to be sure. Still, the girl kept her face passive and uninterested, betraying no emotions for fear of any eavesdroppers.

It was then that she remembered the way Dain had been shaking uncontrollably earlier. "Your... brother," Jasmine said in a change of subject. She waited until she was sure that Lief understood whom she was referring to. "Is he well?"

For some reason, a slight frown suddenly marred the boy's features at her words. "Yes, just a little upset," he explained. "He was supposed to leave us when we arrived at Tora, but the captain will not oblige our request. I guess he will have to follow us to the river's end."

Now this was an interesting development. She had not counted on Dain following them to the Maze of the Beast, and in truth, she did not really want him to. Jasmine held no ill feelings towards the Toran boy, but, despite his skills with the bow and arrow, he _did_ seem to be rather faint of heart—it would be tragic if his spinelessness were to slow them down.

Whatever the case may be, it was out of her control now, and as such, she said nothing of it. Instead, she continued to recount her recent happenings:

"There is also the possibility that your sister encountered some of the pirates that run amok along the banks," Jasmine said, tossing her ponytail and causing her earrings to chime as they dangled.

If Lief was surprised by this, he did not show it. Rather, the edges of his mouth twitched back upwards into a hidden grin that twinkled in his eyes. "Oh, I am certain they will not have been any trouble for her. She is a remarkably skilled fighter."

An unexplainable, yet pleasant feeling spread across her chest at the hinted praise, and Jasmine bit at her bottom red lip, not knowing how to reply. Fortunately, when the boy noticed this, he continued in a low voice:

"We have all missed her greatly," said Lief wistfully. "I will be very happy to meet up with her again."

Jasmine turned to look at his youthful face, which had returned to gazing out at the expanse of water. There was a heartwarming sincerity in his words that she could not place—but, for what it was worth, it did not really matter. From beneath her scarf, Filli again popped his head out and began to chatter cheerfully when he noticed Lief, who waved in return.

For the first time since their separation, Jasmine gave a genuine smile. "I have a feeling she will be very happy as well."

※ ※

 **As the sun set, the reed beds at last gave way to flat drifts of sand scattered with low bushes. The moon rose, only to be covered by cloud almost at once.** The two friends continued to share in their familiar companionship for a while longer than planned, but neither of them particularly minded. Jasmine had become relieved when the dancing couple moved away, allowing more freedom in the way they spoke.

Eventually though, as the creeping darkness loomed overhead, Lief returned to the others and the _River Queen_ slowed once more. The captain had announced his intention to stop for the night and that they would start again at dawn.

Filli lay in his guardian's lap and yawned, stretching his limbs outward before curling up to sleep. There was a single caw from above as Kree landed on the roof of the ship to sleep as well. Meanwhile, the other passengers seemed content to pull out their blankets and get a good night's rest, but Jasmine stayed wide awake.

She turned her head to look at the boys. Lief and Dain huddled peacefully on their own blankets with their eyes closed, breathing deeply. Barda, on the other hand, was also awake, sitting with his arms crossed and keeping a vigilant first watch. The big man gave an acknowledging nod when he met her stare.

Jasmine gently stroked the fur of the rodent in her lap and moved to gaze back out over the rails. Her heart was very full. Her friends' arrival might have been an inconvenience to her plans, but she supposed it did not matter as long as they all arrived at the Maze of the Beast safely.

The group had reunited unexpectedly, and just as well, too. After all, it only seemed fitting that the heroes of Deltora faced every danger—and every triumph—ahead together.


End file.
